BOOK: The Cruellest Month by Louise Penny

The Cruellest Month, by Louise Penny, 372 pages

Winner of the Agatha Award, Best Novel 2008

Thriller and Suspense Challenge; A - Z Title Challenge

Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surette returns to the idyllic village of Three Pines in rural Quebec. But it isn't as idyllic as it originally seems, as another murder has occurred. One of the town members was killed as the regular characters in the series, plus some extras, have a seance in the bad house in the village. It's one of those moments where you want to scream at the book - are you crazy? having a seance in a possibly haunted house? You all belong in teen slasher movie.

Anyway, the gang from Three Pines (Ruth, the angry poet; Myrna, the bookstore owner; Clara and Peter, the artists; Olivier and Gabri, who own the B&B) helps Gamache, who is also dealing with the fall out of an internal police case from several years ago. Someone in the Surette is out to get him, and the politics of that situation is the one I liked more than the actual mystery. Gamache and his team, and how he manages the team are the parts of the book I really like.

Gamache pulls a Poirot at the end and assembles all the participants of the seance at the scene of the murder and then talks out the motives of each, and eventually explains who the murderer actually is. I found this very strange and not at all how I imagine a real police officer solves a crime. It just didn't fit with a police mystery - maybe a private eye or amateur sleuth. However, even with the ending, another great read from Penny.

also reviewed by:
jen forbus of Jen's Book Thoughts
booklogged at A Reader's Journal
joy at thoughts of joy

next in the series: The Murder Stone

GAME: The Bookword Game

What should we call a book that is great while you are reading it, you like it fine and you are enjoying it fine, BUT after you put it down, it's really hard to pick back up and get back into again?

It's called a Fickle-Me-Now book, not The Woman in White, as was my experience from January to April.

This is the time when I would announce our next suggestion, but Suey and I have decided once again to take the summer off from the Bookword Game. And it is now summer, woo-hoo!

If you have any moments during the next couple of months when you think of a book or situation that needs a word, please let Suey or me know. We welcome all new ideas!

See you in September.

CHALLENGE: Paris in July

BookBath and Thyme For Tea have decided to come together to host a blogging experience to celebrate [their] love of all things French and Parisian - "Paris In July".

There will be no rules or targets in terms of how much you need to do or complete in order to be a part of Paris In July - just blog about anything French and you can join in. Some ideas for the month might include;

- Reading a French book - fiction or non-fiction

- Watching a French movie

- Listening to French music

- Cooking French food

- Experiencing French art, architecture or travel

What a great idea! I won't get to Paris anytime soon, so a virtual tour will have to do.

I am hoping to read Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky. I picked it up on the lending shelf in the library. I know, you are wondering, what shelf isn't a lending shelf in the library? The library I am talking about is a high school library, full of young adult novels. We teachers have created our own lending library shelf back in the AV room, where we can place our own books, and then just borrow on our honour.

Other interesting ideas - a mystery by Fred Vargas, Gourmet Rhapsody, Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier.
Maybe a movie? I've seen Amelie, and The Advocate; what's another recent/well-known French movie I haven't seen? I meant to see Coco. A rewatching of Moulin Rouge perhaps?
Ratatoullie, La Vie en Rose

As for food, I'm sure I can manage some French toast and French fries or poutine - but maybe that only counts as French-Canadian?

I'll make my son practice his French while school is out so when he gets back to his immersion class in September, he'll still be familiar.

Ce que j'ai fait:
1. Read Death in the Truffle Wood by Pierre Magnan (A Mystery in Provence)
2. Read short story by Emil Zola: The Death of Olivier Becaille
3.  Read Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky 
4. Read Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris
5. watched "Ratatouille" the Pixar movie

BOOK: A Little Yellow Dog by Walter Mosley

A Little Yellow Dog by Walter Mosley, 308 pages

Historical Mysteries Challenge; Colourful Challenge;

Easy Rawlins, that cool cat who starred in the Denzel movie, Devil in a Blue Dress from 1995, has turned over a new leaf. He's not living the street, he's got a real job as a supervisor of custodians at a school in East LA, in the 1960s. One morning before school starts, he has a steamy encounter with a teacher. She leaves her dog with him as she takes off after a body turns up in the school yard. Easy is drawn into a world he thought he left behind.

I read Devil in a Blue Dress years ago, and although A Little Yellow Dog is the 5th in the series, I didn't feel confused at all. I am usually more rigid about reading a series in order, but this worked. Mosley does a wonderful job of giving enough background to situations and characters so that I never felt confused. He also writes a tight, hardboiled mystery with a nuanced, lead character. I like that we are in Easy's head and we get to hear his logic. So many noir mysteries leave me unsure of what just happened or what that interaction was about, but this was just right. Crap, now I have another mystery series I'd really like to read more of.

Easy Rawlins and Mouse (Don Cheadle from the movie) are two characters who've got quite a past, and are trying to live their life, making tough decisions. They are so close to a violent, criminal world and make choices all the time. As Africa-American men in 1960s LA, a lot of choices are made for them and they deal with the cops too much. They make for a great story.


This is the last book for the Historical Mystery Challenge. I've still got a list I'd like to read but I have really enjoyed picking books for this challenge. I've started two new series, read the second in two others, and filled in a gap on a series where I've read over 15. Thanks for hosting to AF Heart over at Mysteries and My Musings, I've taken a few more off the TBR.

1. The Green Mill Murder - Kerry Greenwood 1920s
2. Maisie Dobbs - Jacqueline Winspear 1920s
3. Bethlehem Road - Anne Perry 1880s (Victorian)
4. The Tale of Hill Top Farm - Susan Wittig Albert 1910s
5. A Little Yellow Dog - Walter Mosley 1960s

What is your favorite historical mystery series?

GAME: The Bookword Game (sticky post)

Suey put our new Bookword out there last week:

What should we call a book that is great while you are reading it, you like it fine and you are enjoying it fine, BUT after you put it down, it's really hard to pick back up and get back into again?

The nominees:
Book Quoter suggests sticky-back book
raidergirl3 suggests Fickle-Me-Now book
Jan von Harz suggests a capricious read
I'm going to add another one too - a waity book (originally I thought weighty book)

poll by twiigs.com

Come on by the blog and vote - I've got rhubarb squares freshly made if you vote!
Results next week here.

BLOGGING: It's Tuesday, Where are You?

Still time to vote for the Bookword Game, come on by my blog.

In reading, I decided to visit Los Angeles in 1960s and meet up with that cool cat, Easy Rawlins. He just got stuck with a dog after a steamy encounter with the dog's owner. (A Little Yellow Dog, Walter Mosley)

Where is reading taking you today? Leave a comment, write a post, spread the word.

ps - computer problems may cause an interuption in service around raiderland this week. I'll see ya when I see ya.

BOOKS: several graphic novel reviews

Blankets by Craig Thompson, 377 pages

graphic novel challenge

First love and coming of age in a midwestern high school, set in a strongly religious home. Church camp has the same bullies and outcasts you'd find at any camp. Thompson's autobiographical memoir was a good read, but not one that I identified with, but I imagine there is a demographic that would love this one. I have a younger male cousin who lists this as one of his favorite books. It is impressive what can be conveyed in this format; the feelings and experiences are presented in such a novel way.




The Arrival by Shaun Tan,

graphic novel challenge; Australian author challenge

No words on the pages at all, but stunningly beautiful drawings to chronicle the experience of an immigrant to a strange land. I kept thinking the surreal world would begin to resemble something familiar, but it stayed strange. The world is meant to symbolize the unknown of all immigrants. I'm in too much of a hurry and I have always read too fast to appreciate a book like this that needs to be savoured and studied.




Pyongyang by Guy Delisle, 176 pages

graphic novel challenge; North Korea

Guy Delisle is sent to North Korea and this book is his account of his time spent in the very isolated country. I liked parts, but then the story would jump suddenly as if pages were missing, although they weren't. I found the book interesting by parts, and confusing by parts. I'm not planning any trips to North Korea any time soon, that's for sure.

(I read this quite a few months ago so this was my lasting impression)

BOOK: Truth by Peter Temple

Truth by Peter Temple, 387 pages

Aussie Author Challenge; Published in 2010 (review copy from Random House Canada)

Truth is described as the sequel to The Broken Shore, Temple's acclaimed novel (CWA Golden Dagger 2007), but I'm gathering it is more of a parallel book. Same location, with some overlapping characters. I decided to read Truth first and I don't think I missed much. I didn't know some of the characters, like Joe Cashin from The Broken Shore or Jack Irish who has his own series, as well as I would if I'd read some of his other books, but it seemed ok and they made small cameos only.

Stephen Villani, head of the Victoria homicide squad is having the worst week of nearly any character I've read. Mind you, he's not the nicest guy around, very much cop, manly guy, but he's having some midlife crisis stuff, trying to solve several brutal murders that happened close together, his family is shit, and his childhood, which he is brooding, on left much to be desired. The forest fires threatening his beloved forest, and his distant father, are at the front of his mind. Stephen was the best part of the book, as I was torn between feeling sorry for him and hoping he'd get some issues straightened out, and with thinking he's an ass for the decisions he's made, especially with his family. (Am I reading about Villani, or is it Erlender from Iceland or Montalbano from Capri?)

The plot was a bit complicated, and I found the dialogue very 30s noir, hard-boiled cop, with a twist of Aussie slang to further confuse me. I've read his writing described as 'elliptical.' However, it also left me feeling very immersed in modern Australia, like I was watching a Law and Order, Victoria style. I like the police procedural style of mystery, so that the reader discovers information with Villani, although sometimes we have to wait a bit for the detail. Villani will have an idea, or see a name, and we are left in suspense to find out, but not too long. With his position as Head of Homicide, Villani is running in a higher social scene than he is accustomed. At this level, I worried that Villani was almost out of his league.

Characters were introduced without a lot of background, and at times I would have loved one of those character guides you see in the front of some books. Until I read The Broken Shore, I won't know if it's Temple's style to write that way, or if they are from other books. I also really liked one of Villani's team, an Aborigine cop named Dove, and their growing friendship. I'd look forward to more with the two of them.

Overall, a terrific new mystery author I've discovered, and I am really looking forward to reading The Broken Shore and hopefully running into Villani in a minor role. Truth is fast paced and complex, and another new author I want to read more of.

also reviewed:
Kerrie at Mysteries in Paradise

BLOGGING: It's Tuesday, Where Are You?

Still taking suggestions at Sueys for the latest Bookword at Sueys. Head on over and add your two cents.

We got an email from my son's junior high school about a reading program available for the summer. It's called Sync YA Literature, and they are making young adult titles available for download, free, over the summer. It's a mix of classic and new young adult titles. I'm trying to remember to go back to get some of these titles, for my son. What a great program! I don't listen to a lot of audio books, but the combination of summer and young adult sounds great.

In reading, I am heading to Three Pines, a small village in Quebec. Lovely spot, other than the occasional murder that seems to occur. Luckily, Inspector Gamauche will save the day.
(The Cruelest Month, Louise Penny)

Where is reading taking you today? Leave a comment, write a post, spread the word.

BOOK: Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie, 256 pages

1930s Mini Challenge (published in 1934); 20-10 Charity Book buy

This is what a classic mystery is all about. Poirot is at his best, most condescending self. Condescending is the wrong word - he humours his 'helpers' in the investigation. And he just trusts his little grey cells to decipher the clues, and to ask the questions that are right in front of him.

Christie doesn't write a single extra word - this is tight, has all the clues, and the most excellent locked room case. The train is stuck in the snow, and someone has been murdered. Best mystery ever!

(I'm sure I read this years ago, but I have no recollection of it. I'm going to have to revisit some of Christie's best mysteries.)

CHALLENGE: Thriller and Suspense Reading Challenge

Hosted by Book Chick City There is still time to sign-up, even as late as me.
Runs: January - December 2010
Read: 12 Thriller, Suspense or Mystery books

I'm starting as of now, June 6.
The list of mysteries I have here that I want to read includes:

• The Broken Shore, Peter Temple
• Truth, Peter Temple
• The Cruelest Month, Louise Penny (Canadian)
• Birds of a Feather, Jacqueline Winspear
• Pardonable Lies, Jacqueline Winspear
• August Heat, Andrea Camilleri
• Tainted Blood, Arnaldur Indridason
• The Oxford Murders
• Darkly Dreaming Dexter, Jeff Lindsay
• A Little Yellow Dog, Walter Mosely
• Pretty in Ink, Karen E Olson
• The Full Cupboard of Life, Alexander McCall Smith
• Fear the Worst, Linwood Barclay (Canadian)
• Murder on the Leviathan
• The Calling, Inger Ash Wolf (Canadian)

1. Truth - Peter Temple 06/07
2. The Cruelest Month - Louise Penny 06/13
3. A Little Yellow Dog - Walter Mosley 06/19
4. Tainted Blood (Jar City) - Arnaldur Indridason 06/27
5. Birds of a Feather - Jacqueline Winspear 07/13
6. Death in the Truffle Wood - Pierre Magnan 07/14
7. August Heat - Andrea Camilleri 07/15
8. The Full Cupboard of Life - Alexander McCall Smith 07/22
9. The Silence of the Rain - Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza 08/12
10. The Wings of the Sphinx - Andrea Camilleri 08/14
11. Darkly Dreaming Dexter - Jeff Lindsay 09/10
12. The Darkest Room - Johan Theorin 10/13

BOOK: Motorcycles & Sweetgrass by Drew Hayden Taylor

Motorcycles & Sweetgrass by Drew Hayden Taylor, 346 pages

Countdown: 2010 title; 3rd Canadian Book Challenge

Much of this fun novel read like a movie or television show. Once I realized that Taylor had been a writer on The Beachcombers and North of 60, it made sense. A realistic, yet not depressing look at life on a reserve in Ontario, it also blends some magical, mythological elements.

A mysterious stranger arrives into town after being summoned by a dying matriarch. Her daughter, the chief, needs some fun in her life, and Nanabush or Trickster, from Anishnawbe legend, certainly spices up her life. He arrives and shakes up Otter Lake just as they are trying to decide what to do with a recent land acquisition.

Some great characters populate this book:

• Wayne, the hermit brother, who is inventing a native martial arts based on animals
• Dakota, most of her native heritage is in her name, with a crush on John, the stranger
• Sammy, the survivor of Residential school, but just barely
• the raccoons, holding a severe grudge against Nanabush, and out for revenge
• the Indian Motorcycle, a dramatic character in its own right
  

I'm not supposed to quote from the ARC copy I had, but surely these great lines won't be changed?

[The Indian Motorcycle] wasn't just cool, it was cool squared, maybe even cubed. p 47

Who was this man? Nobody in his family was cool enough to know a guy like this, Virgil thought. p 47

It seemed her son just needed a good kick in the pants, but Ms Weatherford explained it in less abusive terms. p 126

The other horrible thing he realized was that it wasn't even nine o'clock yet, and there was so much more day left for things to go wrong. p 217

She hated appearing on television, felt she looked too haggard and worn, like a character from a Margaret Laurence novel. p 253

A book that readers looking for a Canadian book, a mythological book for Once Upon a Time, or just a fun, unique read should look for Motorcycles & Sweetgrass. I was sent this book as part of Random House's New Faces of Fiction, and I would certainly look for another book by Taylor. He's off to a great start!

BOOK: Generation A by Douglas Coupland

Generation A by Douglas Coupland, 297 pages

It's the End of the World Challenge

Coupland's first book, Generation X, is so iconic, that phrases from it have become part of our vocabulary, including the title. I liked how he even used the phrase McJobs he made popular, in this, his latest novel. This title, Generation A, comes from a line Kurt Vonnegut used at a graduation commencement.

Generation A is slightly science fiction, slightly dystopian as it takes place in the slight future. Five young people around the world have been stung by bees, who are believed to be extinct. Technology and digitalization play a big role with the a couple of the characters involved in satellite imagery even as they are stung. The word spreads immediately. The stingees are collected by Hazmat suited medical types who want to examine them indepthly. Coupland has the five main characters alternately narrate the novel, reminiscent of his Generation X. I had no problem keeping the characters straight and liked the different perspectives.

Usually when I read other blogger's reviews, and they make comments on the writing, mentioning phrases they liked and I don't usually notice this myself. Except for Coupland. He has phrases that just catch my fancy, generally humourous. Maybe that's it, I notice funny more than beautiful. The one I remember, since I only had the book on 7 day library loan and it is long since returned, was the line that I hope I am remembering correctly - He was heterosexual, but only by the slimmest of margins. The book is full of great Coupland lines, so even when the book didn't grab me completely, the writing kept me amused.

I did particularly like how much deference Coupland gives to the act of reading. Even within all the digital references, reading and the way the brain reacts while reading, is an idealized thing.

also reviewed:
chris at bookarama
jackie at farmlanebooks
yann martel as suggested to Stephen Harper

BLOGGING: It's Tuesday, Where are You?

There is still time to vote at Suey's for the latest Bookword. Go now.

June has to be the craziest month around this house. Between end of school busyness - like socials, field trips, final exams, graduation (I have to go every year, and am involved in the planning) and then the summer sports starting - baseball or soccer most nights, along with general overall nice weather that it is nice to be out in, it just doesn't get any busier. Still I manage to find some time to read, while watching a ball try-out or before falling asleep. I put together a new deck swing this weekend and am looking forward to July days of absolutely nothing to do by lay on the deck, watch the kids play, and read.

In reading, I am in Otter Lake, somewhere in Canada. A man on a motorcycle has arrived to fulfill a promise to the dead grandmother of the local chief. (Motorcycles and Sweetgrass, Drew Hayden Taylor)

Where is reading taking you today? Leave a comment, write a post, spread the word.

BOOK: Vintage Murder by Ngaio Marsh

I am posting a stop on the Classics Circuit today- the golden age of detective fiction. Authors like Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler, Dorothy Sayers and Ngaio Marsh wrote great detective novels in the 1930s that have lasted until today, and are still as popular as ever. Ngaio Marsh's books are in new release at my local book store, as are Georgette Heyer mysteries. I've read nearly all the Agatha Christie books back in my teens. I thought I'd try a new author and travel to anther part of the world at the same time.


Vintage Murder by Ngaio Marsh, 256 pages

1930s Mini-Challenge; Global Reading Challenge: New Zealand

1. Starring Detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn. I think I'm going to like him. He reminds me of Inspector Gamauche of Three Pines by Louise Penny. Smart and subtle and gets a great read on people very quickly. Alleyn is on holiday from Scotland Yard in New Zealand. Alleyn stars in 33 books. I like finding a new detective to read about, but 33 sounds like a lot of books.

2. Vintage Murder was set in New Zealand, where Ngaio Marsh was born and lived. Marsh was also a theatre director, and Vintage Murder is set within a traveling theatre troupe. The troupe is touring from England, and they meet up with Inspector Alleyn in New Zealand on a train. Apparently, Marsh set many of her books in the theatre.

3. "a murder committed in a closed environment by one of a limited number of suspects"
Wikipedia states that the Golden Age of Detective Fiction is based on this premise. I did not know that. Vintage Murder is a classic then, because someone in the troupe must have murdered Alfred Myer, co-owner of the Carolyn Dacres Comedy Company. He's murdered at a party, with only the troupe in attendance. Luckily, Alleyn was there too.

4. Much of the detecting involves figuring out who was where, when, and what motive they might have. Alleyn, working with the local police, even makes a spreadsheet, included in the book, to organize the data. Gotta like a spreadsheet from the 1930s.

5. The local police are somewhat in awe of Alleyn and let him have free reign. He is quite aware of not stepping on toes and is very respectful. Nice international cooperation.

6. I have never been good at figuring out who the murderer is. I fall for every red herring. I know to not suspect the most obvious suspect, but that's about it. I'm always surprised and pleased with the endings of mysteries. Sadly, even when I've read the book already, I probably still don't know who the murderer is. I'm the perfect reader for mysteries that way.

7. A little awkwardness in the periodness of the book. There is a Maori character in the book, and while written in language of the day, some of it is that awkward, uncomfortableness of thinking - was it really acceptable to write about people this way? To use these descriptions? Marsh is respectful Dr Rangi Te Pokiha, but some unenlightened phrases are used.

8. I know I shouldn't compare, and I should judge this book on its own merits, but, I read Murder on the Orient Express very soon after reading Vintage Murder, and the Marsh pales next to the Christie. I liked the Marsh, and I wouldn't not read another one, but I've now got a hankering to reread a lot of those Agatha Christie books I read as a teenager. She really is the master. Vintage Murder was a perfectly acceptable murder mystery, with great characters that follows the classic style, but Murder on the Orient Express was a 'wow' read that really sets the standard.

Also on the tour today, Notes from the North is reviewing The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie. Ooh, I bet that's a good one! It was recently voted best Christie mystery in a very unscientific poll of readers of Kerrie's Mystery in Paradise blog.

BOOK: The Age of Persuasion by Terry O'Reilly & Mike Tennant

The Age of Persuasion by Terry O'Reilly & Mike Tennant, 324 pages
How Marketing Ate Our Culture

Nonfiction Five 2010

I've always been secretly fascinated with the field of marketing. Maybe I should have taken a course in university. I often stopped on the distance education channel that broadcast the marketing course. The advertising agency on thirtysomething looked like so much fun. And anytime I've heard the CBC Radio program The Age of Persuasion, hosted by the authors of this book, I've enjoyed it. Terry O'Reilly's distinctive voice and humorous story telling make for a show that is very compelling. There must be podcasts available for anyone interested at CBC Radio - or maybe not, but there is streaming available.

The Age of Persuasion gives a bit of a behind the scene look at the process, a bit of history of advertising during the 20th century, and the development of the advertising industry. Starting with print, then radio, then television and finally internet, plus all the spaces in between where advertising is present. My cynical side doesn't like the feeling that marketing is manipulation, and it is, but it gets out information that we need, and we always have the choice.

Stories of branding (a hot topic in the blogging world as well) Aunt Jemima or Betty Crocker, tales of the Youtube Revolution, the celebrity endorser (with an already out of date look at Tiger Woods) and lots of great stories. For a folksy, charming look at advertising - and it is all around us, bombarding all our senses, The Age of Persuasion is a great read. But don't let my little ad convince you. Do you trust me? Am I a credible source? You have to make up your own mind.


review book from Randomhouse Canada

BOOK: Out Backward by Ross Raisin

Out Backward by Ross Raisin, 211 pages
this book was published as God's Own Country in England

IMPAC Dublin Shortlisted 2010; A-Zed Title Challenge

Sam Marsdyke is an unlikely narrator, and I felt so sorry for him. Is that the skill of the author, that I felt bad for an extremely disturbed individual? I shouldn't like poor Sam, but the whole situation was sad, and his brain just did not function the way most people's do. I loved the Yorkshire Moors settings - fans of Wuthering Heights who like their love stories twisted should read this.

Sam is working on the family farm with his nasty father and distant mother, after being kicked out of school. A family moves in across the way with a teenager daughter that Sam becomes interested in. Stalkers and psychopaths interpret events differently than regular people, and Sam reads more into several situations than he should. But from his perspective, it really all made sense, and he didn't mean for the things that happened to happen. In some ways, he just didn't know any better.

Sam is mildly educated, and his slang takes a bit of getting used to, but I fell into his dialect easily and it really matched him and his thought processes. Some conversations begin in his head and then continued with real people, or Sam talked with animals that seemed way more real to him than most people. I began to wonder if he really did hear them talk to him. This should have been more confusing than it was, but it really worked in this book. I did wonder if some of the words were Yorkshire dialect or if they were Sam's made up words.

Twenty or thirty red houses, all bright and glishy like a piece of flesh with the skin torn off. Probably that was what the town used to look like, way back, before it started to snarl up and scab over. p 100

At times, I was very worried while reading how the book would turn out, with the potential for violence, but I was satisfied with the ending. I liked this book and thinking of past IMPAC Dublin Prize winners, I think it would be a good winner. It felt like DeNiro's Game by Rawi Hage, This Blinding Absence of Light by Tahar Ben Jalloun, No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod, and Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson in terms of overall tone and feel, not plot or type of book at all. The only other nominee from this year's list I've read is The Elegance of the Hedgehog, and I really liked it as well.


The Shortlisted Books Winner announced June 17, 2010
The Twin by Gerbrand Bakker
The Elegance Of The Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
In Zodiac Light by Robert Edric
Settlement by Christoph Hein
The Believers by Zoe Heller
Netherland by Joseph O'Neill
God's Own Country by Ross Raisin
Home by Marilynne Robinson

Any of these you'd recommend to read or want to read? Never mind the Home book, I was bored to tears by Gilead and have no intention of reading that one.

MEME: Booking Through Thursday

What books do you have next to your bed right now? How about other places in the house? What are you reading?

I have a few piles by my bed. Closest to me is the book I'm reading now: Out Backward by Ross Raisin and the next library book on the pile, The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness

I have a pile of LM Montgomery books that I like having nearby - Tangled Web, Blue Castle, The Blythes are Quoted and another old book, Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell. I like the look of these of this pile of books.

I have a pile of mysteries - Tainted Blood by Indridason, August Heat by Camilleri, A Little Yellow Dog by Mosely, Oxford Murder by Guillermo, Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Lindsay, Death at La Fenice by Leon, and Murder on the Leviathon by Akunin. I keep shuffling this pile, trying to decide which one will be next.

We won't talk about the piles of books in other places in the house. I'll only admit to the ones beside my bed.

GAME: The Bookword Game (sticky post)

We have a winner! The new Bookword for that book that is calling out to you to be read is A Book Siren as suggested by Jan von Harz. Congratulations, Jan!

We need a new situation. What about that poor book you bring home from the library, that looked so good, but then the due date comes and other books were read instead? So you have to take it back unread. (Of course, you have every intention of taking it out again and reading it.) What shall we call the library book that gets returned unread?

I'll take suggestions in the comments and Suey will put up a poll next week on her blog. Even if you think of something, please leave a comment. Sometimes that is all it takes to help someone else come up with an idea. It's one big brainstorming session in the comments.

BLOGGING: It's Tuesday, Where Are You?

I think the Victoria Day holiday (yesterday, in Canada) is one of my favorite holidays. Mostly because there are no other expectations associated with it - no visits to make, so big dinners to eat. It's a day to spend outside, weather willing, do a little yardwork, and just enjoy a day off. I got some herbs potted, watched a bit of a PeeWee baseball game, slept in, barbequed yesterday (steak and scallops!) The weather was great, if a little windy (remember not to hang towels on the line on such a windy day; the line came down) It feels like summer is here!

How great was it that Lost was on last night and I had today off? Another reason to like the Victoria Day holiday. Reactions to the final? yea or nay? I am a definite yea.

Still taking suggestions in the comments for this weeks Bookword - that library book that gets returned unread. Head on over and have your say.

In reading, I just boarded a train, the Orient Express, and there has been a suspicious death. Luckily, Poirot is on hand. (Murder on the Orient Express, Agatha Christie)

Where is reading taking you today? Leave a comment, write a post, spread the word.

BOOK: The Tale of Hill Top Farm by Susan Wittig Albert

The Tale of Hill Top Farm by Susan Wittig Albert, 286 pages

Historical Mysteries

Cute little cozy mystery set in 1905, in the Lake District of England. Much of the novel is based on the true story of Beatrix Potter, author of the delightful children's books, like The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Albert takes some known facts of Beatrix Potter's life and then builds a whole village around what was known after she left her sheltered parents house. The list of characters at the beginning of the book make clear which characters are based on real people and which are made up. And what a delightful cast of characters populate the village of Near Sawrey!

The mystery is slim in this book, but that is not the appeal. The charm is in the relationships among the characters and the cats and dogs who also live in the town. They have meetings, discuss, and try to solve mysteries as well as the humans. It sounds too cute, but it plays just right. The animals always talked in italics, which helped keep the conversations straight. Miss Potter carries a menagerie of animals with her, so there is also the city mouse meets country mouse aspect to the story. I really liked how the animals played such a part in the plot, unknown to the human characters. The assumption that not much happens in a little village is all a matter of scale - disappearances, deaths, and inheritances take greater relevance when everyone knows everyone else.

Overall, a sweet little mystery. Fans of Beatrix Potter, historical mysteries, English countrysides, and cats would enjoy.


also reviewed:
framed at framed and booked (has the first few books reviewed)
nan at letters from a hill farm (at first I thought her farm was the same name)

GAME: The Bookword Game (sticky post)

Welcome, it's time to look over the choices and make your vote. Suey asked us this week for suggestions for what should we call a book that seems to take on a personality of its own and call out to you to "please read me NOW" and is very persistent about it and won't leave you alone until you've read it. Or, in shorter words, what should we call a book that begs to be read immediately?

Lots of suggestions too! Excellent effort this week.

Pam suggested Baggage Book
Emilee suggested Book Badger
Jan suggested GottaRead Book
Jan von Harz suggested A Book Siren or a Beseeching Book
bybee suggested a come-hither book
melissa suggested README
tif suggested Top Notch or King of the Mountain

Come by and vote for this week's Bookword. I'll have the poll open until Wednesday next week and then I'l have results and a new word next week. Have fun voting!

poll by twiigs.com

BLOGGING: It's Tuesday, Where Are You?

There is still time to vote on the Bookword Game this week, and then results and a new word on Wednesday. If you have any suggestions that need Bookwords, feel free to leave an idea. We can credit your idea, or you can remain anonymous.

In reading, I am in New Zealand with a travelling acting troupe in the 1930s. There's been a murder, and Inspector Roderick Alleyn, while on vacation, is being drawn into the case. It's my first Marsh and I'm reading it for the Classics Circuit Tour of Golden Age Detectives. My tour stop in June 1. I've always been a Poirot girl, so this is new to me. (Vintage Murder, by Ngaio Marsh)

Where is reading taking you today? Leave a comment, write a post, spread the word.

BOOK: Bethlehem Road by Anne Perry

Bethlehem Road by Anne Perry, 308 pages

Historical Mysteries Challenge; Our Mutual Read Challenge

Setting: Victorian London, about 1880s

Series: # 10 of 25 in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mysteries, but the 20th one I've read. I spent much of the early 2000s reading Anne Perry mysteries, the Pitts and also the William Monk series, always available at the library

Series Overview: Charlotte Ellison Pitt married down in class for love, to a lowly policeman, Thomas Pitt. Thomas gets to rub shoulders with a higher class through Charlotte's family, including her rich sister Emily, and Emily's great aunt in law, Vespasia. Charlotte never minds getting involved with one of Thomas' cases. Thomas is smart and knows his place, and takes his job very serious.

This Book: Late one night, a British MP, Member of Parliament, is found with his throat cut and hung up on a bridge. Is there a personal motive or are the anarchists trying to destabilize the monarchy? Nice inclusion of the growing suffragette movement.

The Victorian times: Keeping control, concern of appearances, and maintaining a certain decorum and style are all the fun things to read about but thank heavens I never lived then. Writing in retrospect allows our main characters to be ahead of their time, noticing social injustices, with characters who are very tolerant of different ideas and people.
I liked that Perry included a major theme of the suffragettes in this book. The women are starting to rebel, to talk about their lack of rights. My biggest image of the London suffragettes has always been Mrs Banks marching while Mary Poppins looks after her children all day. (Mary Poppins!) Charlotte of course is very interested in women's rights, and recognizes that she lives a fairly privileged life, even if she only has one young girl to help her and a woman to come in to do the heavy work.

My Thoughts: I haven't spent time with Charlotte and Thomas in a long time and it was great to see them all again, especially Emily and Great-Aunt Vespasia. The mystery itself ended kind of strangely and quickly and it seemed like there should have been another twist. This is a series I'd like to read all and once you've read twenty books, the actual mystery isn't the story - it's the characters and their lives and relationships.

BOOK: The Rehearsal by Eleanor Catton

The Rehearsal by Eleanor Catton, 317 pages

Early Reviewer Book from LibraryThing; Orange Longlist 2010

The plot summary sounded great - after a sex scandal at a private school, the nearby acting school decides to put on a play about the incident. The execution was thoroughly disorienting. Until I read in another review that the girls in the high school were in chapters labeled with days of the week, and the acting students were in chapters labeled with months, I was very confused. That helped a bit. I believe that some of the vignettes (the plot is nonlinear and the view is always changing) were the actual play, but I'm still not completely sure.

I continued reading because it was an Early Reviewer book, and somewhere in the middle, the story became a bit more clear for me. When the story stayed with the acting students I liked it much better. Over all, I don't like reading a story that makes me feel stupid because I can't figure out who anyone is or what is happening. Usually by the end I can have a good picture of the book, but this one left me baffled. Other readers who can deal with such a nonstandard novel may enjoy it, but it didn't work for me.

The Rehearsal was on the longlist for the 2010 Orange Prize, and it certainly had the feel of a 'prize winning' book, but not the kind I like, the kind that are more about the writing and the technique than the story. I read an interview with Catton in Belletrista, and it made me appreciate her writing and recognize that she was deliberate in all her decisions about the book.


also reviewed:
clare at paperbackreader
jackie at farmlanebooks
buried at buried in print

BLOGGING: It's Tuesday, Where Are You?

Bookword Game Update - still taking suggestions at Suey's this week. Looks like a great list so far. I'll put a poll up Wednesday sometime.

In reading, I am in a couple of schools - a high school and an arts school. There was a scandal involving a teacher, and now they are putting on a play about it. (The Rehearsal, Eleanor Catton)

Where is reading taking you today? Leave a comment, write a post, spread the word.

CHALLENGE: 2nds Reading Challenge

Seconds Reading Challenge hosted here at Royal Reviews.

Challenge begins January 1st thru December, 2010.
There are four levels:

-- Curious – Read 3 novels that are 2nd in a series or second time you've read the author.

-- Fascinated – Read 6 that are 2nd in a series or second time you've read the author.

-- Addicted – Read 12 novels that are 2nd in a series or second time you've read the author.

-- Obsessed – Read 20 novels 2nd in a series or second time you've read the author.


Books that are second in a series, or second time I've read the author:
1. Purple Hibiscus - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Half a Yellow Sun)
2. Dead Cold - Louise Penny (2nd in a series)
3. She Got Up Off the Couch - Haven Kimmel (A Girl Named Zippy)
4. The Unnamed - Joshua Ferris (Then We Came to the End)
5. The Green Mill Murder - Kerry Greenwood
6. The Missing Ink - Karen E. Olson (Sacred Cows)
7. Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List - Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
8. The Ask and the Answer - Patrick Ness (2nd in a series)
9. A Little Yellow Dog - Walter Mosley (Devil in a Blue Dress)
10. Birds of a Feather - Jacqueline Winspear (2nd in a series)
11. What Was Lost - Catherine O'Flynn (The News Were We Are)
12. The Silence of the Rain - Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza (September Heat)
13. Trespass - Rose Tremain (The Road Home)
14. Feeling Sorry for Celia - Jaclyyn Moriarty (The Year of Secret Assignments)
15. Barney's Version - Mordecai Richler (The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz)
16. Gretzky's Tears - Stephen Brunt (Searching for Bobby Orr)
17. What is Stephen Harper Reading - Yann Martel (Life of Pi)
18. What Child is This? - Caroline B Cooney (Code Orange)
19. Hard Boiled and Hard Luck - Banana Yoshimoto (Kitchen)
20. King Leary - Paul Quarrington (The Ravine)

BOOK: Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor

Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor, 206 pages

Man Booker Challenge: shortlisted 1971; Four Month Challenge: book written in the 70s (any century); New Author

First of all, it's not that Elizabeth Taylor. Elizabeth Taylor the author, 1912 - 1975, was British and wrote twelve novels and four short story collections. This Elizabeth Taylor has written a bittersweet story about aging, and loneliness, and finding friendship.

Mrs Palfrey first came to the Claremont Hotel on a Sunday afternoon in January. Who goes to a hotel to live? Widows and widowers of a certain class and money, whose family won't take them in. Laura Palfrey and the others who live year round in the Claremont have their own appearances and habits to keep up, but they are in many ways just in a holding pattern, waiting to be moved to a nursing home, as they can't die in the hotel but are hanging on to their independence. Laura meets Ludo, a young writer, when she falls one day outside his home. She sees in him the attention her own grandson doesn't pay her, and he sees in her a character for his novel. They develop a friendship of sorts. Early on, it made me a little nervous that Ludo would be mean to Mrs Palfrey, or use her, and I didn't want anything too terrible to happen to Mrs Palfrey. It wasn't that she was too sweet, because she was human with good and bad qualities, but I liked her, her mix of cautiousness and recklessness as she navigated her new life.

I call this bittersweet because it was both. There were some amusing scenes, but the underlying sadness in the lives of the characters is always present. The life they construct in the hotel, with their rituals and the inevitable hierarchy of social standing were so clearly written. There have been new releases of many of Taylor's novels that I would like to read. I enjoyed her writing style and characterizations. Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont has also been made into a movie starring Joan Plowright.

also reviewed:
laura at musings
care at care's online bookclub

BLOGGING: It's Tuesday, Where Are You?

There is a poll over at Suey's for this week's Bookword. Go vote!

It's May already! Crazy how quickly time goes by. What's the best book you've read so far this year? I'd say my favorite has been Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson. Delightful!


In reading, I am in a midwestern University town, about to start a job as a nanny. (A Gate at the Stairs, Lorri Moore)

Where is reading taking you today? Leave a comment, write a post, spread the word.

CHALLENGE: Non-Fiction Five Challenge

Once again, Trish is hosting the Non-Fiction Five Challenge.

1. Read 5 non-fiction books during the months of May - September, 2010 (please link your reviews on Mister Linky each month; Mister Linky can be found at the beginning of each month on this blog)

2. Read at least one non-fiction book that is different from your other choices (i.e.: 4 memoirs and 1 self-help)

3. If interested, please sign up here with the link to your NFF Challenge post (all choices do not need to be posted and may change at any time)


The pool of books I really want to read:

Age of Persuasion by Terry O'Reilly and Mike Tennant
-Fans of the CBC radio show of the same name know what this will be about, and the subtitle says it all: How Marketing Ate Out Culture

Driving Over Lemons by Chris Stewart
-Found this at the booksale yesterday. Sounds like a Bill Bryson travel-esque trip to Spain

The Madman and the Professor by Simon Winchester
-subtitle says: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dicitonary

Candy Girl by Cody Diablo DNF couldn't get into it and it felt like she was stripping only to get material for this book
-memoir of by the writer of Juno, and her time as a stripper

plus something else from this other list of books I really want to read:
The Elegant Universe by Brian Green
The Necklace by Cheryl Jarvis
I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This by Bob Newhart
The Great Influenza by John Barry
Teacher Man by Frank McCourt
Cold: Adventures in the World’s Frozen Places, By Bill Streever

Books Actually Read:
1. The Age of Persuasion - Terry O'Reilly & Mike Tennant
2. Invincible Louisa - Cornelia Meigs
3. The Professor and the Madman - Simon Winchester
4. Driving Over Lemons - Chris Stewart
5. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Rebecca Skloot

BOOK: Every Last One by Anna Quindlen

Every Last One by Anna Quindlen, 299 pages

review book from Random House Canada; A - Zed Challenge (E title)
Published April 13, 2010

Do you have an author you associate with a particular friend? Jill at the Magic Lasso has always written about how much she enjoys Anna Quindlen's books, so when I saw this book, I decided to take a chance on the author, knowing nothing about the book, trusting Jill's book opinion. That Jill sure is a great recommender!

Whenever I've read a book knowing nothing about the plot, I hesitate to reveal much of anything because I think that my experience was based on that lack of knowledge, and I suppose everyone should have my same experience. So, not much of a plot summary from me today. This was a very emotional read, the kind that had me staying up too late, reading, sobbing in bed, trying not to wake my husband, and waking with red-rimmed eyes. And to be clear, this makes it a great book by me!

I like a book that immerses me into the life of the narrator, in this case, Mary Beth, the mother of three teenagers. She narrates her fortyish life, with a melancholy, a midlife reflecting of what her life is now that her children are growing and her role is changing. I just liked how Mary Beth looked at life, I recognized her feelings and reactions, even while not always liking her or her actions. Quindlen does an amazing job of balancing the emotional aspect with the plot. She didn't spell everything out, but gave just enough to keep things moving.

I tried to describe the setting of this book in my It's Tuesday, Where Are You? meme last week, but the setting isn't a key part of this book - it's a home, with a family, with married parents and teenagers, and it's about a woman's life and how she deals with a terrible event that changes everything she thought she knew. I feel like all the cliches about writing- effortless, readable, identifiable characters, are what I want to use to describe Every Last One. And that is why it was such a great read - it was all those things and made such an emotional connection without being manipulative, (I hate when I feel manipulated into an emotional reaction.)

also reviewed by
Jill at the Magic Lasso
Lesley at lesley's book nook

GAME: The Bookword Game (sticky post)

Last week, we asked:

What should we call a book that makes you interested enough in its topic that you are inspired to go and do some more research on it?

And after many suggestions, and a poll, the Bybee suggested Firestarter book was the winner. Yah Bybee! Some books do just start a fire under you and send you off to the library for more information.

The next bookword we are looking for is: What do we call a book that you remember everything about the plot, but not the title?

Don't you hate when that happens? Any suggestions? The comments will take suggestions for the next week. Then look at Suey's for the poll.

BOOK: Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear, 292 pages

Historical Mysteries; 4 Month Challenge: Proper name in title; 30s Mini-Challenge(it's set in 1929, but has the spirit of the 1930s)

I've been slow to jump on the Maisie Dobbs train, and I am of two minds. On the one hand, I've been missing this wonderful character and beautiful writing. On the other hand, there are seven more books in the series to discover, so I have that to look forward to.

Maisie Dobbs, a female private investigator slash psychologist, sets up shop in 1929 London. The mystery was slight in this first novel, as much time was spent on the back story of Maisie as a child, and during her time in World War I in France. But the mystery tied in with the flashbacks, and I was on the edge of my seat at one moment. Maisie had a most unique educational experience, and she is as much a psychologist as an investigator. Just a delightful novel all around.

BLOGGING: It's Tuesday, Where Are You?

Taking suggestions for this weeks Bookword Game here in the comments until Wednesday. We need some more players. Feel free to come on by.

This is Sheepy at our house. He's not quite as impressive as this Sheepy, but he's pretty popular nonetheless. Picture by seven year old owner of Sheepy.

In reading, I am starting my own Investigative Agency in 1929 London, not the 1930s as I was mistakenly led to believe by Librarything tags. Looks like we may spend some time remembering World War I in the course of this investigation. (Maisy Dobbs, Jacqueline Winspear)

Where is reading taking you today? Leave a comment, write a post, spread the word.

BOOK: Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde

Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron by Jasper Fforde, 388 pages

Colourful Challenge; It's the End of the World

In a world where your social status is defined by the colour you can see (Chromatacia), Yellows are on top with last names like Primrose, McMustard, and Courtland. The Reds - Russetts, Oxblood, and Ochre are just above the lowly Greys. I loved all the synonyms for colours in this book, among other things.

If this had been my first Fforde, I'm not sure I would have made it. He crams so many allusions and jokes and ideas into every page that it can be hard to read. And setting up a whole new world after the Something that Happened (to our world) is a lot of work. It can be very tough reading in the beginning. But I stuck with it, knowing that Fforde has a sure hand and can write the most amazing new worlds, and then once the book picked up, I flew to the end, anxious to find out what might happen - a little romance, a little adventure, some treachery and enlightenment. And a plethora of spoons, because in a world with a spoon shortage, you know there must be some hidden somewhere.

Eddie is the perfect protagonist - a little naive with a sense of fair play. His discovery that his world is not quite what he thought it was, that the Head Office might have an agenda, is slowly revealed by anther new wonderful character, Jane Grey. I look forward to more Eddie and Jane (does Jasper Fforde really have a thing for Jane Eyre or what?) adventures.

There are two more books planned with Brunswick and deMauve: Painting by Numbers and The Gordini Protocols.

also reviewed by:
chris at bookarama
alison at piling on the books

another library book

BOOK: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese, 688 pages

A - Zed Challenge; 20-10 Challenge: set in Africa

Most reviews of this book have readers gushing, raving, and putting this on their 'best read of the year' list. I liked this book, quite a bit, but it won't make my best read of the year. I feel like I have to explain why I didn't love it that much, which makes it seem like I am only mentioning things I didn't like, when in fact, I found it an engrossing, epic novel. It's a solid 4/5 reading experience.

(Nit-picking problems:
I could never get a sense of where the story was going. It was epic, covering the life of the narrator with back stories on his parents, biological and real-life, and most other characters as well. But every time we went back in time, I lost the focus of where this was headed.

The narrator, Marion Stone, seemed too perfect. I would have rather had the story narrated by his twin brother, Shiva, who seemed more of a character. However, he didn't seem to care much about anyone else, so I guess his narration would have been as one-sided. For example, Marion saved himself for the girl he loved, explaining that his love was so true. He was too sensitive to hurt people's feelings, he did everything he was supposed to. Marion couldn't lie to protect the family during a particular crisis - don't worry, Shiva has no such compunction.

The medical details were far too detailed. I don't need to know the sub-clava vein thingy and the minuscule thing attached to it when operating for some obscure rare surgery. Lots of surgery and blood. I was impressed with Dr Verghese knowledge, but it could have been edited. And at least five major characters were surgeons so every character had a surgery described.)

The story, of conjoined twins born of a doctor and a nun, both immigrants to Ethiopia, with a secret love was a great concept. I really liked the Ethiopian setting, and learning about the history and culture of Ethiopia, especially the historical relationship with Ethiopia and Italy. The family relationships - parent/child, siblings, within the Missing Hospital were realistic and moving, especially Ghosh who was a wonderfully loving adoptive father and husband. It's a big book that didn't feel big except in scope.


thanks to RandomHouse Canada for the review copy

also reviewed by:
jackie at farmlanebooks
suzi at suziqoregon
nicola at back to books
chris at bookarama

GAME: The Bookword Game

Suey challenged us this week to find the name for a book that makes us interested in a new topic. Lots of great suggestions this week!

What should we call a book that makes you interested enough in its topic that you are inspired to go and do some more research on it?

Bybee suggested Firestarter book
Jan von Harz suggested a Probing Prose
Jenni suggested The Gluttenous Read, An Interest-Piquing Book, and Attention Grabber
Jan suggested A Stepping Stone Book, and A Bridge Book

So, now it's your turn. Come on by to vote in the poll. (Hey lurkers! You know you want to vote, and it's anonymous. I'll never know who you are. I dare you.) Results and a new word next week.

poll by twiigs.com

BLOGGING: It's Tuesday, Where Are You?

Bookword Game update for the week: come by and vote this week for this week's word. Results on Wednesday.

I am just leaving Ethiopia with Dr Stone - it's been a great adventure. (Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese)
In reading, I am not exactly sure my location as I am just getting started. I am a part of a family, so could really be any where. (Every Last One, Anna Quindlen)

Where is reading taking you today? Leave a comment, write a post, spread the word.